What is the oligarchy? Term meaning

The oligarchy began to interest other ancient thinkers. As the first authors who in their treatises described this phenomenon, are Plato and Aristotle. So what is the oligarchy in the understanding of ancient Greek philosophers?

Oligarchy in the teachings of Plato

One of the most brilliant ancient Greek authors is Plato. It is his works that form the basis for studying the majority of political science disciplines. Comprehensive analysis is subjected to such treatises as "The State", "The Apology of Socrates", "Politia", etc. It is in them that he discusses the pressing problems of his time, in particular, touches on the question of the best form of government. In other words, it provides answers to questions about what is the oligarchy, democracy, political science, tyranny, timocracy, etc.

The clear meaning of the word "oligarchy" Plato does not give, because he considers this form of government in comparison with others, highlighting its characteristic features. However, by this term he means the system of the state, which is based on the property qualification. In other words, at the helm there are only financially well-off people, whereas the poor do not even have the right to vote.

According to the thinker's arguments, the oligarchy refers to a single pleiad of perverted forms of state organization. This social and social system is smoothly reborn from the timocracy, embodying the worst vices in life. Virtue ceases to play a significant role in politics, as wealth rises in its place. The oligarchic order is based only on armed force, and not on respect and reverence for the sovereign. Most of the population is below the poverty line, and the ruling elite does not even try to take steps to overcome this trend. Oligarchy also implies redistribution, and unjust, of social benefits existing in society.

Thus, according to the teachings of Plato, a just state and an oligarchy are incompatible with each other. But to avoid the degeneration of timocracy into this form of socio-economic organization of society is impossible.

Oligarchy in the teachings of Aristotle

Aristotle was a disciple of Plato, so in many ways he continued to study his teacher. In particular, in his scientific works he began to consider the question of what an oligarchy is. The philosopher believed that this form of government, just like democracy and tyranny, is a perverted type of socio-political system.

In the treatise "Politics" Aristotle put into the meaning of the word "oligarchy" the whole essence of the policy of that time, in other words, he said that this form implies the power of the rich. It is in the oligarchic state that greater attention will be paid to the blessings of the powerful, the representatives of the well-to-do class. The philosopher considered this system imperfect, since he asserted that there is a possibility of "buying" a place under the sun, therefore, such a system of society is not stable.

The concept of R. Michels

What is the oligarchy? Much attention was paid to this issue at various times, including in the 20th century. In particular, R. Michels, who at the beginning of the 20th century expressed his conception, which was later named as the "iron law of the oligarchy", made an immense contribution to the study of this phenomenon. The philosopher believed that any social and social structure of society eventually degenerates into an oligarchy, regardless of the foundation that was laid in them - democratic or autocratic.

The main reason for this trend is the desire of the social leader to become the head of the government and to put his own interests at the forefront, including financial ones. At the same time, the crowd impeccably trusts its sovereign, blindly obeying all his orders acting in the form of laws.

Varieties of the oligarchy

To date, political scientists studying this phenomenon, distinguish four different types of oligarchy, each of which has unique characteristics and features:

1. Monoligarchy. This social system emerges in those states where all sovereign power is concentrated in the hands of a monarchical ruler. It does not matter whether he is theocratic or secular. But the main difference is that the monarch creates a hierarchical structure, whose activities are primarily aimed at enrichment. In some cases, the will of such a social structure is much stronger and higher in rank than the monarch's. An example is the feudal system.
2. Demoligarchy. As one can understand from the title, here there is a mixture of democracy and oligarchy, which manifests itself in the fact that a people with sovereignty transfers all power to a small oligarchic group through an election or referendum.
3. Transit oligarchy. This type of device society is transitional. It occurs when the monarch has already lost all power, and the people have not yet become a sovereign. It is in this unstable period that the oligarchy tries to play the leading role, which tries to hold on to power by any means.
4. The mad oligarchy. In this case, the rich people, in order to stay in power, do not try to justify their position with sovereignty. On the contrary, they use illegal types of influence on society, including violence and lies.

Boyar's oligarchy is a trend of the past

Some researchers, in addition to the four above mentioned types of oligarchy, also distinguish the fifth type - boyar. This form of the device was peculiar to Novgorod and Pskov in the period from XII to XV century. At this time, with the slightest weakening of power in the hands of a monarchical ruler, the oligarchic group in the form of the most influential boyars tried to win over sovereignty.

In other words, they wanted to change the basis of the state, giving it the main features of the oligarchy.

Prospects of the oligarchy in the modern world

To date, the oligarchy has become one of the key topics for discussion in the territory of the states of the former USSR. If we analyze the situation of the last 15-20 years, then we can conclude that the dictatorship of the oligarchs is gaining momentum, in particular, in the Russian Federation.

The government is building its policy in such a way as to close the question of the predominance of oligarchs in the government. But despite all attempts to find a solution to this problem does not work until now. Therefore, the prospects for the oligarchy in Russia, and indeed in the whole modern world, are rather sad, since this can cause destabilization of the political situation in states that have embarked on a democratic path of development.